Hi folks, I received this plant as a gift a couple of days ago. It looked beautiful when I got it, but within hours it began to suffer. 3 or 4 of the blooms fell off, and, as you can see in the photos, some of the leaves have flopped. Help! I don't know what the plant is, so I don't can't even look up care information online. So a plant ID is essential at this point, and any care suggestions would be most appreciated! Thanks :)
Is it a begonia?? I`ll lkook it up through the day. We have over 1500 varieties here to choose from. They grow extremely well in the ground here in QLD. Hope that helps . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begonia
it is a cyclamen and to care for it, water from underneath the plant and let it soak up some water because if you get water into the crown of the plantthe leaves begin to rot and so will the corm ( like a bulb) Cyclamen like a cool spot 10-15 degrees celcius, and they will need to have a dormant period , the leaves will anturally turn yellow and fall off and then you should place the corm ( bulb) in a cool dark spot for about 2 months then bring it back out and water in and it will begin to grow again.
Thanks all, as usual, for the speedy ID and helpful hints. I've looked online for some more care information. Someone had already told me to water from the bottom, so i started out all right. My two tasks for today are to figure out a good tray/pebble arrangement for it to sit on, and more importantly and more difficult, find a temperature appropriate space in my flat for it.... I'm afraid every option in the flat is either too warm or too cool. Fingers crossed...! Thanks!
